Friendship Unexpected
by RachelCocoa
Summary: Mandy is new in high school. She meets Chase on the way who seems like an angel until she sees Luke. Engulfed in her crush on Luke, Mandy doesn't realize that she is caught in the middle of a love triangle.
1. Default Chapter

**Chapter 1**

Mandy grabbed her lavender backpack and flung it on her back.

"Ugf!" Mandy frowned. Every year her backpack seemed to get heavier and heavier.

"Honey! The bus comes in five minutes! Ready to go?" Mandy's mom, Christina called from around the corner.

"Yea mom. All ready." Mandy yelled back. Christina walked into the room and looked at Mandy, her eyes filling up with tears.

"I can't believe you are going into high school already! Poor thing, and you are going to a new school too." Christina's voice quivered. She gave Mandy a hug and smiled.

"Have a good day!" Christina said as Mandy ran out the door waving. Mandy barely made it to the bus stop before the bus arrived. Mandy grimaced as she sat down in a seat with graffiti all over the back of the seat in front of her. Mandy crossed her arms uncomfortably. What kind of a school had she joined?

The last pickup stop came and the bus filled up quickly. The bus door closed and the bus continued to drive for half a second before it stopped suddenly. The door opened once more and an out of breath boy jumped on. Sitting next to Mandy, he gasped for breath. He had shaggy light brown hair, blue-green eyes, and baggy clothes. The boy noticed her examining him and met her eyes. Mandy looked away, feeling embarrassed for getting caught.

"Hey. I haven't seen you before. You're new right?" Chase asked, interested in the new girl. Mandy nodded.

"Well I'm Chase. And obviously I don't know you." Chase smiled at her.

"I'm Mandy." She put it plainly in front of Chase.

"Well nice to meet you Mandy." Chase replied, smiling. He liked her. He liked her a lot. The bus stopped and Mandy got up to leave. Chase got his backpack stuck and Mandy went on without him. Chase ran after Mandy and finally caught up with her.

"Hey, Mandy. You know, you are new around here." Chase sort of asked.

"That's what I have been told." Mandy replied, looking away from Chase.

"Well… I was thinking… You know, since you're new and all. Maybe I could help you find your locker and classes and stuff. You know, just so you get the hang of it." Chase suggested.

"Sure. I guess I could use a bit of help." Mandy shrugged.

"Great!" Chase exhaled as though he were waiting to see if he won a giant prize from the lottery. He looked directly at her and smiled. Their eyes locked for a few seconds when Chase looked away.

"What's your locker number?" Chase asked, looking at his shoes.

"249." Mandy replied, smiling at him.

"Great! Mine's 257, so I'm right down the hall from you!" Chase exclaimed, looking up.

"Here I will go to my locker and when you are done come meet me by mine ok?" Mandy asked.

"Ok! Don't worry! I'll be there, and then I will show you around the school." Chase seemed really excited and it made Mandy grin.

"See you in a few!" Chase called over his shoulder. Mandy unpacked the bags of pencils, pens, erasers, highlighters, notebooks… Everything you could imagine. Mandy grabbed her crumpled schedule from her pocket and gazed at it feeling very confused and unsure about the day's plan for her. What did "English 9R" stand for, and where was room 316? She ran her fingers through her long, brown hair stressfully. After English she had one elective which really wasn't an elective, but something the school had chosen for her since she was new. It was "Art and Design". Whatever that was.

Looking through her schedule, she saw something out of the corner of her eye. She snapped her head quickly to identify the mysterious object. It was Chase. He looked away, feeling stupid for not letting her know that he was there.

"If you are so interested in my schedule, then why didn't you ask?" Mandy asked flirtatiously. Chase rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

"I could show you the school now if you want." Chase stated.

"Ok." Mandy said slightly excited. Why hadn't her first friend been a girl? O well. Chase was turning out to be a pretty nice guy.

"This is the Cafeteria, and that's the stairs that go up to the third floor. There's the stairs right next to those stairs that lead to the first floor which is kind of like a basement. That's the library, and next to it is the computer room." Chase said. He led her through the whole school, giving her details about every room and teacher she had this year. This went on for about fifteen minutes and then the bell rang.

"Oh my gosh! I have to get to class!" Mandy exclaimed tucking her hair behind her ear with her free hand.

"What classes do you have?" Chase asked, leaning against a locker.

"Well, I guess I have "English 9R" first. You know where that is?" Mandy asked.

"Do I? I have that same class right now!" Chase smiled.

"Ok. So If I'm late, then you take total responsibility?" Mandy joked.

"Total responsibility!" Chase pretended to be serious. He got a very mischievous look on his face. He broke out in a run.

"Catch me if you can!" He yelled back to her. Mandy gazed at him in disbelief.

"You're my only way to class!" She yelled, whining a bit. He turned a corner and Mandy slowly ran, trying not to seem stupid. She turned the corner.

"Raaaaaaahhh!" Chase jumped out the second he saw Mandy.

"Aaahhh!" Mandy screamed, and slapped Chase impulsively.

"Ow! What was that for?" Chase complained, rubbing his arm.

"You scared me!" Mandy practically yelled. Chase started laughing and Mandy walked away.

"Mandy!" Chase called.

"What do you want?" Mandy asked rudely.

"You're going the wrong way." Chase smiled. Mandy smiled.

"Ok, Mr. Navigator. Show me the way." Mandy challenged, putting one hand on her hip.

"Gladly." Chase linked arms with her and lead her to the classroom. He unlinked his arm and smiled when they got there. Mandy smiled back and giggled.

"Thank you." Mandy said.

"Anytime." Chase said.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Lunch came all too quickly. Mandy was going crazy with all the papers and trying to memorize the teacher's names. Mandy found Chase at a table with both boys and girls. He was laughing at something someone said to him. Chase saw her and waved her over. She sat down next to Chase timidly and smiled at all the table members.

"Everyone, this is Mandy." Chase introduced.

"Hey." Everybody said.

"Mandy, this is Christy, Ricky, Laura, and Luke." Chase introduced again. Christy had bright blonde hair, (obviously bleached) lots of eye liner, and her ears were double pierced. Ricky had short red hair that was spiked. He wore baggy jeans and a shirt that said, "My Dog Ate It". Laura wore a purple tank top and her hair was up in a tight, high ponytail. She wore some bright pink lip-gloss and looked pretty nice. Luke was a cutie. He had jet black hair with a slight shag showing he usually wore it spiked up. He had breathtaking, light brown eyes and the hottest clothes. Actually, Mandy hadn't bothered to look at his clothes; she just knew they were awesome. He smiled at her and she pretended to look around to cover for her staring.

"So Mandy, where did you move from?" Laura asked.

"Ohio. It's pretty nice there during the summer except for the bugs." Mandy replied.

"Cool." Luke replied casually.

"Bugs? Eww!" Ricky said imitating a high pitched girl voice. Everybody started laughing.

"Oh would you look at that?" Christy smirked.

"What?" Laura asked.

"Looks like Jessica and Mike are actually going out!" Christy looked mischievous.

"Oh man! That's just wrong!" Luke said.

"No way!" Chase exclaimed. Indeed, the new couple was holding hands, signifying their togetherness.

"You see, Jessica has wanted to go out with Mike since the sixth grade! She asked twice every year: the very first day, and the very last. He has said no every time. And to her face! Nobody ever thought that he would ever say yes!" Luke explained.

"Maybe I could show you around the school sometime?" Luke offered. Mandy would have said yes even though Chase had already shown her, but before she could answer, Chase cut in.

"Already taken care of, Luke." He winked at Mandy. Mandy looked down and frowned. Luke had actually offered to do something with her! Mandy felt like crying.

"Oh, well. Do you want to exchange schedules and see what we have together?" Luke offered. Mandy nodded and took out her wrinkly schedule. Luke came over and sat right next to Mandy, forcing Chase to scoot over. They were practically in a huddle and Luke's face was only half a foot away from hers.

After reviewing both of their schedules, they concluded that they had five classes together. Including lunch. Mandy smiled with delight. If she didn't get to talk to him at lunch, then she would get to talk to him the last four classes of the day! Chase and Luke had no classes together, Chase and Mandy had two classes together, Mandy and Laura had two classes together, and Christy and Mandy had one class together. This was going to be the best year ever!

The rest of the lunch period, Luke told her funny stories about a crazy substitute teacher last year who thought that opening windows would let in too much sunshine and that the kids would all get sunburn. He told her a story about when a bird got into the school and it took five janitors and two teachers to catch it. Mandy laughed uncontrollably at the way he told it. When she had recovered from her giggle attack, she found Luke staring right at her.

"Are you sure that you don't want to be given _another_ tour of the school?" Luke asked, almost pleadingly.

"I would love one!" Mandy nearly whispered. Luke led her to the cafeteria exit when a lunch lady blocked their path.

"Where do you think you are going?" She asked suspiciously.

"This girl's new. I want to show her around a bit and show her where her next class is." Luke replied coolly.

"Ok, but make it quick." The lady snapped. Luke led Mandy down the hallway and down the stairs. He slowed his pace and looked at Mandy.

"Is this your first time moving?" He asked slowly.

"No, I've moved five times. My parents can never stay in one place for too long." Mandy replied.

"Must be hard." Luke put it as a question.

"You have no idea." Mandy said looking down. Luke changed the subject quick, seeing the hurt in her eyes.

"And this, is your next class." he said leaning up against the door frame. He looked perfect there. Picture perfect. He was cute, slightly muscular, and had the perfect eyes. Mandy sat on a nearby bench. Mandy missed her friends in Ohio. She hated moving, and she didn't like having to start all over. Mandy felt the tears coming and quickly looked down so that Luke wouldn't think she was an idiot. Luke automatically noticed something was wrong and walked over to her and sat down next to her.

A tear fell. Mandy quickly wiped it away and looked up. She put on a fake smile and looked at Luke.

"Allergies." She managed to choke out, but Luke wasn't fooled.

"It's not stupid to cry, you know." Luke whispered. Another tear escaped her eyelid. Mandy looked away. Luke put his finger under her chin and lifted her head up so her eyes met his. With his free hand, he brushed back her hair and wiped the traveling tear away. Luke wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly. Mandy relaxed and settled down as she listened to Luke's breathing.

Luke stroked her hair slowly. He whispered into her ear.

"Are you ok?" He sounded concerned. Mandy looked at him and nodded. Luke tucked her hair behind her ears and held her head with both hands. He looked in her eyes and smiled. This was the best moment of her life!

Hey everyone! Hope you like chapter 2! Please review! I really want to know what you think! Thanx!


	3. Chapter3

Chapter 3

Mandy smiled back. Luke's hand slowly found hers and they glided smoothly together. Mandy gave Luke's hand a reassuring squeeze as they headed back to the lunchroom. Luke really liked Mandy, and he didn't want her to feel like since she was new, she wasn't welcome. That's how he had felt last year.

"Are you sure you are ok, Mandy?" Luke looked concerned.

"I'm fine. Thanks Luke." Mandy smiled, and gave Luke a hug as they turned the corner to the hallway leading to the lunchroom. Luke put his arm around her shoulder as she hugged him. They walked like that for a while, but as they entered the lunchroom, Mandy released the embrace. Chase called Mandy over, and Luke watched jealously as Mandy pranced over, to the table and giggled at something Chase said.

Laura pulled Mandy away from the group.

"So?" Laura asked.

"So what?" Mandy asked confused.

"So, what happened?" Laura raised her eyebrows.

"What?" Mandy looked very confused.

"With Luke and you. What happened?" Laura smiled.

"Nothing happened!" Mandy tried to keep from smiling.

"Oh yes! Something did happen! Now spill!" Laura was always nosy like this.

"The only thing to spill was that I got hugged." Mandy smiled proudly.

"Aw! That's so cute!" Laura whispered.

"Yea. I really like him. I mean really like him." Mandy beamed.

"Sorry for being so nosy." Laura smiled shyly.

"That's alright. I would have wanted to know too." Mandy shrugged it off. Chase came over and smiled.

"Hey… Mandy…" Chase grasped his own hands and looked a bit nervous.

"Mandy. I was invited, along with the rest of the table, to this party." Chase motioned to the rest of the table.

"They said that we could bring another person with us." Chase continued. Mandy nodded.

"Well, it's this Saturday from six to ten… at night of course." Chase was looking all over nervously.

"And I was wondering if you would like to go with me." Chase finally asked. Mandy looked over to Luke, wishing he had asked her first.

"Like as a date?" Mandy looked at Chase.

"Well… I don't know. If you want it to be a date. Or we could go as friends. I don't know whatever you want." Chase babbled. Mandy nodded.

"Do you want it to be a date?" Chased asked, hoping with everything he was worth that she would say yes.

"I guess. Sure." Mandy shrugged. If Luke hadn't asked her, then maybe he didn't feel the same way about her as she did for him. Chase smiled the biggest smile anyone had ever seen.

"Great! I could come pick you up around… five-thirty?" Chase questioned.

"That's fine." Mandy forced a smile. The bell rang and Mandy gathered her things.

"So I'll see you Saturday?" Chase called after her.

"You'll see me Saturday!" Mandy yelled over her shoulder. Mandy felt like crying. Chase was nice, but she liked Luke. Luke walked next to Mandy.

"Are you going to the party?" Luke asked.

"Are you?" Mandy asked. If the party was a snoozer, then she could always talk to Luke.

"Yea. I think I might." Luke shrugged.

"Yea. I'm going." Mandy said, staring strait ahead.

"With Chase, right?" Luke asked. Mandy nodded.

"Do you… like, Chase?" Luke looked at her.

"He's a really good… friend." Mandy finally offered after some time thinking.

"Oh." Luke said, sounding hopeful for some reason.

"I would have asked you." Luke put it plainly in front of her. Her hopes soared and she smiled, looking down.

"That doesn't mean we can't talk to each other during the party." Mandy said. They entered the classroom and the bell rang only seconds later. Mandy picked a seat in the back and Luke followed. They sat down and listened to the teacher lecture about what was expected of in the classroom and what they would be doing throughout the quarter.

Mandy felt something touch her hand. Did she imagine it? No, there it was again. She looked down to see Luke's hand holding a note. She snatched it quickly and then slowly opened it, cringing with every crinkle the paper made. She read the note:

"Hey. So, are you sure that you are going to the party?

Mandy scribbled down quickly:

Why do you keep bringing up the party?

Mandy and Luke kept passing the note, back and forth until the end result looked like this:

Hey. So, are you sure that you are going to the party?

Why do you keep bringing up the party?

What do you mean "keep bringing it up"?

I mean, it seems like you just keep bringing it up.

I don't keep bringing it up.

DO 2!

Do not!

Yes! I'm going to the party! Why?

Just wondering.

Didn't we already have this same exact conversation?

Yea.

Then why do you keep bringing it up.

I don't know.

Don't worry! I'll be there. Chase will make sure of that.

Lol!

Ha ha! Very funny!

You like him don't you?

We already had this conversation. I like him as a friend.

Yea, well just making sure.

What?

Teacher's looking over here. Got to go. Bye."

Mandy was confused! What was that all about? She felt something brush her hand once more. She looked down. It was Luke's hand once more. He slid his hand into her hand and squeezed it appreciatively. Mandy smiled, but inside, she frowned. This Saturday was going to be complicated.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Saturday came around all too soon. It was five, and Mandy was running around, trying to get ready. She slipped on a soft, red top with red, ruffled, shoulder straps that hung right below her shoulders. Mandy snatched a black, ruffled skirt and pulled it on. Mandy looked beautiful, almost too beautiful. She didn't really go to parties in Ohio, so her going out in eye-catching clothes was exciting.

She ran into the bathroom and admired her hair. It was curled into perfect, individual locks of hair, which took a load of hairspray to perfect. She smiled and slowly put on some sparkle-pink lipstick, being careful not to mess up.

Mandy looked at the clock. It was five twenty. Ten minutes until Chase picked her up. She sighed. Luke was the most wonderful guy she had ever met, but he hadn't been able to beat Chase at asking her to the party. She looked in the mirror, smoothing out every wrinkle on her shirt. At least she would be able to see him at the party. Even if he wasn't able to make it, Mandy loved to dance so she would have a great time either way.

Mandy heard a beep from outside. She ran to the window, and looked outside. It was Chase. He was in a minivan. How embarrassing! He didn't expect her to go to a party in a minivan did he? Mandy promised herself that she wouldn't mention the car. She ran downstairs, slipped on a pair of black flip-flops and grabbed her purse. As she walked out the door, Chase was waving to her excitedly. He hopped out of the van and smiled as he walked towards her.

"Ready to go?" He asked, seeming thrilled to see her.

"Yup. Ready to go." Mandy smiled politely as Chase opened the car door for her.

"The party's only about five minutes away. So you won't get bored. At least you won't get bored on the way there. Because you might get bored at the party, and I'm not saying that parties are boring I just…" Chase jabbered.

"Whoa! Slow down! Don't worry, I'm not bored!" Mandy giggled. Chase seemed relieved. A few minutes later, they reached the party. Mandy was so excited. She wanted to show off her dancing and couldn't wait to see Luke. As they got out of the van, Mandy noticed some people giggling as they walked by. She frowned and kept her head low.

"Come on! Let's go!" Mandy called.

Chase locked his minivan and ran to catch up with Mandy. As they entered the building, Chase grasped Mandy's hand, claiming their togetherness. The music was loud, and Mandy loved it.

"You want to dance?" Mandy asked Chase.

"Dance?" Chase looked around.

"That's what I said." Mandy waited for a reply.

"Oh. I don't really dance." Chase said plainly.

"What? You don't dance?" Mandy almost yelled. Chase shook his head.

"You can go and dance if you want, though." Chase suggested.

"Really? Thanks!" Mandy smiled.

"I'll go get us some drinks or something." Chase said. Mandy hugged him and walked over to the dance floor. Was Luke here? She wondered. She looked around, searching for him, until she felt someone tap her on the back. She turned around and Luke was standing right there.

"Luke! I was looking for you!" Mandy exclaimed.

"I was looking for you too. Guess I found you first. Hey, where's Chase?" Luke asked looking around.

"Oh. Chase doesn't dance. So he went over by the food." Mandy said, sounding disappointed.

"Well, I'll dance with you." Luke offered.

"Oh! Really? Thank you so much Luke!" Mandy said, throwing her arms around his shoulders. Luke hugged her back, and then pulled away slowly. He led Mandy to the dance floor and just as they got there, a slow song came on.

"Will you be my dance?" Luke asked, knowing the answer already.

"Of course I will!" Mandy said.

Luke placed his hand on Mandy's waist. His hand fit into hers, and she placed her hand on his shoulder. Mandy let her head rest on Luke's shoulder. They swayed to the beat of the music, and Mandy thought that they must have looked wonderful together. Luke gently ran his fingers through Mandy's hair, feeling every strand fall from his fingers.

"I love you Mandy." Luke whispered into her ear.

Mandy drew back her head from Luke's shoulder and looked at him. Luke smiled and leaned in to kiss Mandy when Chase walked up.

"Mandy, I got us some drinks because I thought that you might be…" Chase stopped dead in his tracks and looked at Mandy and Luke. Luke's arms were wrapped around Mandy's waist, and Mandy's arms were wrapped around Luke's neck. They pulled away from each other and faced Chase.

"What's going on!" Chase yelled.


End file.
